Unless you spend an inordinate amount of time at the Reliant complex, you probably have not given Chief Touch the Clouds much consideration. He's the Minneconjou Teton Lakota chief immortalized with a towering bronze statue atop a granite pedestal on the southeast side of Reliant Arena.

And he might be leaving Houston.

Residents of Edmond, Okla., would like to put the statue in a city park there and have approved the funds to do just that.

According to Mayor Charles Lamb, Edmond city council approved spending up to $90,000 to remove Chief Touch the Clouds from the Reliant complex and transport him to Edmond.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been open to selling the statue, but has not disclosed its asking price.

"The sculpture Touch the Clouds has been on the market for potential sale for the past three years," a statement from HLS&R said.

Once brightly colored, the 18-foot, 20,000 pound statue has since darkened with age since its installation in 1999.

McGary's widow also doesn't think the statue was treated with expert loving care while in Houston, and told Oklahoma City newspaper The Oklahoman that it will need to be refurbished before it can be put back on display anywhere.

HLS&R didn't address any upkeep that has been done to the statue in the 15 years that it has been on the Reliant site.

It's possible that any TLC needed on the statue will happen in-house, since Edmond's embryonic art program has started investing in a maintenance staff to work on the pieces they have already.

"It will be one of the three biggest statues we have, if it comes to town," said Lamb on Wednesday.

Lamb said the $90,000 figure the city council approved includes the statue's $50,000 price tag plus $40,000 set aside as needed for removal, restoration, and transportation of the piece.

The former mayor of Edmond, Randel Shadid, is spearheading the effort to get the statue in Edmond, which he says has an extensive public art program, with pieces dotting the city.

The artist had no specific ties to the city of Edmond, Shadid is just a fan of McGary's work.

"The significance of the piece is that is it a great piece by a great artist," said Shadid, who practices law in Edmond.

Shadid says he's been in touch with board members of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo about acquiring the statue.

Shadid said that his sources at RodeoHouston have told him that they would prefer the statue be sold and moved before the rodeo prep work begins.

He's due to come visit the Reliant area next week to check on the condition of the statue and meet with HLS&R staff.

Many people have wondered just why there is a giant Native American statue in the middle of the complex, set apart from all the other art near the Astrodome and Reliant Stadium.

"Due to the size of the sculpture, it was not possible to relocate it to Carruth Plaza with the other sculptures the show maintains at Reliant Park," HLS&R said.

When it was installed in 1998 it was said to be valued at at least $1 million. McGary and his wife donated the $300,000 in creation costs for the statue.

It took 15 hours to install, and took two cranes to maneuver it into place.

According to lore, in real life the chief was nearly 7 feet tall and 300 pounds, hence his name. Some reports put him alongside Crazy Horse at the Battle of Little Big Horn, though it is suggested by others that he wasn't there at all. They were reportedly first cousins and lifelong friends.